Plain clothed officers swooped into an Avarua restaurant Thursday afternoon and arrested a 34-year-old man traveling on a South African passport.

He is allegedly part of an elaborate sting operation that has so far evaded security forces, including the FBI, all over the world.

The arrested man, Albert Tshabalala, is believed to have tried to trick wealthy businessmen and church groups out of large sums of money by claiming to be in possession of millions of U.S. dollars in a "micro-film carbonated" form.

He has gotten them to hand over cash to help him convert the notes into legal tender before disappearing.

A search of his room at a hotel on Rarotonga uncovered several bottles of chemicals and a suitcase containing apparently false dollar bills with a value of...

SUVA, Fiji Islands (December 29, 2001 – Sun)---Fiji’s proposal to the United Nations to have peacekeeping troops deployed to East Timor has not been accepted.

And if Fiji is going to be asked by the United Nations to be part of the peacekeeping process in Afghanistan, it has to have consultations with the commander of the military forces and then be sanctioned by the Government.

This was disclosed by Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Major General George Konrote yesterday.

When Fiji troops were told of their demobilization next year from Lebanon in the Middle East, the Government approached the UN for alternative conflict areas for deployment.

Major General Konrote said the Government’s proposal was not accepted by the UN because it is downsizing.

The Government was actually looking at deploying more forces for peacekeeping duties to East Timor, but that was rejected.

The decline means 48,704 fewer tourists visited last month compared with the 105,352 visitors in November last year, according to Guam Visitors Bureau statistics.

GVB has stated it spent $1.4 million on publicity in Japan in early October, but Japanese tourist arrivals slid 55 percent, from 85,265 to 38,090 in November. Visitor arrivals from Japan dropped 56 percent in October.

An August 2001 visitors bureau survey showed Japanese tourists each spent an average of $609 on Guam, so 47,175 fewer Japanese tourists in one month can be translated into about $28 million that didn't go into the island's economy.

AVARUA, Rarotonga, Cook Islands (December 22 2001 – Cook Islands News)---No government aid has yet been sent to Mangaia as the island struggles to clean up after the recent devastating floods.

The Island Secretary says she has had no word from Rarotonga on an aid package since Cyclone Trina struck the island at the start of the month.

However Arthur Taripo, the Prime Minister’s Deputy Chief of Staff, said yesterday that aid totaling NZ$ 144,000 (US$ 59,760), including NZ$ 50,000 (US$ 20,750) from the government, was to be put at the disposal of Mangaia.

He said that as food stocks were satisfactory at the moment food aid would be sent next year, when the taro shortage begins to bite.

In the meantime, Mangaia is looking forward to the holiday period according to Island Secretary Tuaine Tuara.

"We are just beginning to dry out. We are not quite dry yet," she said. "Things are still pretty grim.

SUVA, Fiji Islands (December 29, 2001 – Sun)---The United Kingdom will once again consider applications for funding for small projects from the Fiji Government in the areas of good governance, human rights, conflict prevention and the environment, says its Foreign Office Minister Denis MacShane.

But he said Britain will replace their sanctions if Fiji does not meet its constitutional requirements.

Following the decision of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) on December 20 to lift Fiji’s suspension from the Councils of the Commonwealth, Mr. MacShane said they would also drop their blanket ban on joint military exercises and visits to Fiji by Royal Navy ships.

Possible cooperation in this area will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and will be approved only where they see benefit to ordinary Fijians or to Fiji’s UN peacekeeping forces.

"In keeping with national and EU criteria, we will continue not to issue export...

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.